With his pajamas and hair in a ragged mess, Greg groggily walked into the kitchen of his doll house. He dragged his feet across the floor as he made his way across the floor and to the refrigerator in the far corner. After opening it, he found a half-eaten homemade hamburger wrapped up in alluminum foil; might as well finish it off for breakfast, he figured, before pulling it out of the refrigerator.

As he microwaved the burger, he looked out of his kitchen window, out into the darkness of the space underneath Parvati's bed. He was still annoyed that Parvati had banned him from his usual "playtime" because of what happened yesterday with Trish and her friend, even moreso that he had to share the dollhouse with the root cause of his punishment.

He thought back to the night before, how Heidi had practically teased him over his not being able to play with Parvati's feet. He wondered how someone with such power in the Aurora Realm--a General Witch--could act so petty. He hoped that Heidi was just an exception of the General Witches, and not the rule.

The microwave dinged as it completed its cycle, he opened the microwave's door and grabbed the hamburger--with its melted cheese and ketchup slightly pouring down the side that had been eaten--out of the appliance, before shutting the door and turning around to head for the table. As he did so, he was taken by surprise at the sight of Heidi sitting at that very table; so much so that he dropped his meal onto the floor.

"Dammit!" Greg blurted, at both his wasted food and at Heidi's sudden appearance. "When did you get in here?! I didn't even hear you!"

"Is that so?" Heidi said in a somewhat arrogant tone. "Maybe it's because I walk so lightly, or it could've been because you were so focused on your processed cow meat to notice me take a seat. Maybe a little of both." She smiled devilishly.

Greg grumbled. "Man... You can be such a pain in the-"

Heidi cut him off. "Well, then I guess you'll be happy to hear this."

"What?"

"Today, I'm going to go back to the Aurora Realm to issue my report on you three."

"Really?" Greg was slightly surprised. "...They're not going to get Parvati and Trish over me being here, are they?"

"I already said that it would be okay, so long as you three didn't do anything too extreme. ...That said, you should still cross your fingers in case something happens."

"You can bet I will. ...And then this will be the last that we'll see of you?"

Heidi chuckled slightly. "I wouldn't say that. Life is full of uncertainties."

"Well, I'm certain that I won't be looking forward to seeing you again."

"Don't delude yourself," Heidi said in a teasing manner. "You know that you're going to miss seeing me. Me and my feet."

"Yeah, right." Greg grunted. "No on both counts. Plus, your feet are dirty because you walk around barefoot all the time. Even outside."

"Oh really?" Heidi then lifted her right foot from the floor and pointed the sole towards him. "Does this look dirty to you?"

Greg looked at her sole. He did not want to get too close to her, but from where he stood, he could not make out a single speck of dirt on her sole. He was surprised at how silky and creamy her foot looked; something that was always being "blocked" by the dirt. Of course, she most likely used her magic to pull off this feat. Nonetheless, he was a bit mesmerized at her curling her toes and scrunching her sole.

"...Wow..." Greg said as he stared at her sole. "Not so often that you see a hippie with clean feet..."

"You make it sound like we never wash ourselves," Heidi said as she pulled her foot back and placed it flat on the floor. "We're not savages."

"...So you ARE a hippie."

Heidi shrugged. "More or less."

Greg looked down at the splattered food on the floor at his feet. He sighed, and kneeled down to clean up the mess.

"Let me help you," Heidi said.

Suddenly, the splattered burger began to glow with a white, sparkling light, before it disappeared from Greg's sight. Greg looked up, towards the table, and saw the burger sitting on the tabletop--good as new as if it had never been dropped.

"Uhmm..." Greg said while staring at the restored burger.

"I believe the words you're looking for are 'Thank you'," Heidi said.

"Yeah. ...Thanks." He stood back upright and then walked to the table.

"Mm-hmm." Heidi then stood up from the chair that she was sitting in. "I'm going out there to tell them about my report. They're going to have to go with me too, so you may be alone for a few hours."

"I'm not going?" Greg asked as he took his seat.

"No," Heidi answered. "Humans aren't allowed in the Aurora Realm. But if they ask to see your condition, then I'll make an exception."

"...Great..." Greg sighed. "I'm looking forward to that..."

"I doubt they'll ask for you, though. They usually take my word for it. They've long since learned to trust me."

"I'm sure that makes you feel so good."

Heidi smiled slyly. "You have no idea." After that, she turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Greg soon heard the front door open, and then close; a sign that she had left the dollhouse.

Greg looked down at his magically-repaired burger, and took notice to something; instead of being half-eaten as it was when he had retrieved it from the refrigerator, it was whole--as if it hadn't been eaten into at all.

Greg shrugged, took his meal in both hands, and bit into it. After chewing the piece he bit off, he suddenly noticed that the meat tasted a bit different. He took a closer look at the burger, and saw that the "meat" was not meat at all; instead, it was some kind of vegan immitation.

"...Touché, Heidi," Greg said, before standing up from his chair, food in hand, and dumping it in the trash bin.

~~~

The morning light shone into the living room as Parvati sat on the couch, watching the local news on television. Trish sat in the chair off to the side, also watching the television but also eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

"Hey, Par," Trish called. "You got anything planned for today?"

"No, not really," Parvati answered. "Maybe go shopping a little later, but other than that, nothing. Why?"

"I was thinking that we should go to the bowling alley."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I'm going to get Cynthia to come, too. Then, you two can finally meet."

"Didn't Cynthia get you in trouble yesterday?"

"That's in the past. I'm not going to being her over here again until I decide to tell her I'm a witch."

"When do you plan to tell her?"

"...Maybe in a few weeks."

"I see..."

"So, you want to come?"

"I guess. I just need to find something to keep Greg occupied."

"Right... Because he's still being punished."

"I'm sure that by the time we leave, his punishment is going to be over. It's just 24 hours, after all."

"I bet he must be going crazy, not being able to have a little toejam." Trish chuckled.

"He'll live," Parvati said. "But I'd love to go with you."

"Great!" Trish smiled. "I'll have to call Cynthia and let her-"

"Depending on how long our appointment takes, you two might not be going at all," said a familiar voice from the hallway.

Both Parvati and Trish looked towards the hallway, and watched as Heidi walked into the living room.

"What are you talking about?" Trish asked.

"Today, I'm going to the Aurora Realm to make my report," Heidi answered.

"...So?"

"You two have to come with me."

Trish was surprised. "What?! Why?!"

"It's the standard," Heidi answered. "The subjects of the report have to stand before the Council as I'm explaining my experience with them. It's been that way for- well, let's just say that it's been that way for a long time."

Trish pouted. "Man..."

"When are we going to leave?" Parvati asked.

"At around 12," Heidi answered. "That should give you two some time to psych yourselves. After all, it will be the first time you will be facing the Head Witches." She smiled slyly. "But I wouldn't worry too much about it."

With that being said, Heidi then turned around and walked out of the living room. They then soon heard the back door open, and close; a sign that she had stepped out into the backyard.

Trish sighed. "Great. My plans have been shot."

"Don't say that," Parvati said. "We could be back before it's too late."

"I suppose, but after meeting those old hags, I might not have it in me to do anything."

"I'm sure it won't be too bad. ...I HOPE it won't be too bad..."

"What if they yell at you for having the Runt?"

"Umm... Given the circumstances around his being here, it shouldn't be too bad, right? That's what Heidi said; since he willingly became my 'property'."

"I guess." Trish shrugged. "I hope they don't mind, either. I kinda like the little guy."

Parvati laughed. "Kinda?"

"Yes, kinda! The little toe-fucker can be annoying."

"Admit it: You enjoy him being here, too. At the very least, he's the only one who can give you a run for your money in your video games."

"Well, he's the only one in this house that can challenge me. ...I guess you have a point. But he's still annoying."

Parvati looked at the clock that hung from the wall. It read 9:53. "I'm going to go for a walk; to clear my head a bit. What about you? Do you wanna come?" She grabbed her keys from the table.

Trish shook her head. "I'll just stay here."

"Okay, then." Parvati stood from the couch, and departed from the living room. Afterwards, she headed for the front door, and exited the house and walked into the bright, warm air of the world outside. She locked the door behind her, and then started to walk away from the house and onto the sidewalk.

She sighed. She had a feeling that Heidi's assignment would be ending soon, but she had no idea that she and Trish would have to face the Head Witches as well. While she had told Trish that they could return before it became too late, she had to agree that, after it was all said and done, she may not be up for much else afterwards either.

Perhaps, if it's early enough, she could remove Greg from his punishment sooner than she had initially said.

~~~

Having walked out of his humble abode--having since discarded his pajamas for a black jogging suit--Greg made his way out from the dark cavern of Parvati's bed and towards the open floor. Parvati herself was not presently in, and had not been in for at least a few hours. At that point, it was nearing noon.

As he reached light, he heard footsteps approaching the room from beyond the doorway. He had since learned to recognize those footsteps as belonging to Parvati herself. He became excited, but at the same time, also disappointed because of his punishment.

"Sight-pleaser, indeed..." Greg sighed.

Seconds later, as expected, Parvati walked into the room. She immediately headed for her bathroom and closed the door after entering inside, not so much as even glancing his way during the entire time.

"Weird," Greg said to himself. Though he figured that she had already been told of Heidi's report, so she most likely had other things on her mind at the moment.

Several minutes later, Parvati walked out of her bathroom, wearing a different attire than she did when she first walked in; a red dress without sleaves and its skirt stopping at her knees, and there was a white band around its waist. Underneath the dress, she wore a long-sleaved white shirt.

"You look nice," Greg said as she walked towards the bed.

"Thanks," Parvati responded. "We have to go meet with the Head Witches today, and Heidi never said whether we'd have to dress formally or not. So I decided to play it safe and find some middle ground. If Heidi doesn't approve, I can always use my magic."

Upon reaching the bed, she kneeled down onto the floor besides Greg and reached under her bed. Afterwards, she pulled out her pair of red flip-flops, the very pair that Greg had tried to get her to wear days before. Needless to say, Greg became rather excited at her decision of footwear.

"Good choice," he said.

"I know," Parvati responded, before standing up and sliding her feet into the sandals. "Like I said, if Heidi doesn't like it, I'll just change."

"Heidi walks around barefoot all the time, I bet even in the other world." Greg folded his arms. "If she says something about it, then she's a hypocrite."

"I guess you have a point."

"When are you supposed to be leaving?"

"In a few minutes, supposedly."

"Wow, really. I'm glad I'm not going, then. I'm not even ready to face a bunch of old hags."

Parvati smiled slyly. "How do you know that they're old?"

"I don't know... Something about a bunch of powerful witches with that much political power makes me think that they're all a bunch of fossils."

"Well, when we get back, I'll let you know if you're right or not."

"Yo, Par!!" Trish's voice called from outside of the room. "Hurry up! It's time to go!!"

"...That was fast..." Greg said.

Parvati sighed. "Well, I guess that's my cue. I'll see you later, my pet." After grabbing her purse from her bed, she turned around and began to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" Greg called out.

Parvati stopped and turned to face him. "Hm?"

"Could I... You know give you a good luck kiss?"

Parvati stared at him for a few seconds before smiling. "I know what you're getting at. You know you're still on punishment."

Greg swung his fist below him. "Drat."

Parvati chuckled. "Just wait a little longer, and you'll be able to have all the fun you want with the girls." She winked at him, before leaving out of the bedroom and into the hall.

"...So, what do I do now?" Greg asked himself. This was not the first time that he was to be left alone in the house, but everytime he found himself with barely anything to amuse himself for the duration. Especially today, on a Saturday, when Parvati would usually be home.

~~~

Both Trish and Heidi stood in the front hallway, both prepared to depart for the Aurora Realm and were awaiting Parvati's arrival.

"It's almost time," Heidi said somewhat impatiently. "She needs to hurry up."

"Relax," Trish said. "She'll be out soon. Besides, will it really matter if we're a few minutes late?"

"Yes. The Head Witches are very punctual with their appointments, and they'll take it out on me if you're late. Then, I'll in turn make your lives a living hell." As she said this, Heidi looked at Trish with a rather dark look in her eyes.

Trish cringed, and turned towards the kitchen doorway. "Yo, Par!!" She yelled. "Hurry up! It's time to go!!"

Heidi smirked. "That's better."

A minute later, Parvati finally walked into the hallway. She looked at Heidi, then Trish, and then Heidi again.

"How do I look?" Parvati asked her.

"You look fine," Heidi answered. "Now, then... Since you're both ready, I'm going to open the Dimensional Gate."

Heidi stepped ahead, towards the house's front door, and then motioned her glowing right hand in front of her in some kind of pattern; both Parvati and Trish knew that this geisture was one that the General Witches used to open up the pathway to the Aurora Realm. Indeed, after Heidi finished, a hole in space began to open up right in front of where the door was; a hole big enough for them to walk through. Inside of the hole was a spiraling vortex of neon lights, neither Parvati or Trish could see what was on the other side of the hole.

Heidi then turned towards Parvati and Trish. "Let's go." Then, she stepped forward and walked into the portal.

Parvati and Trish looked at each other, both with nervous looks on their faces, before Trish started for the portal, with Parvati following behind her. Once Parvati stepped into the hole, it closed behind her, sealing off the entrance into the Aurora Realm from the Human Realm. ...For the time being.

~~~

Trish and Parvati stepped out of the portal and onto a large marble balcony overlooking a deep pit, where Heidi was already standing and awaiting them. To their left were dozens of stairs ascending upward, towards a building that sat at the top of the steps. However, Trish's attention was caught by the strange sky; a watery-like backdrop with constantly shifting neon colors. This unnatural sky served to unnerve her.

"It's weird, right?" Heidi asked Trish. "This is your first time in the Aurora Realm, so it's understandable to be creeped out by it."

"How can anyone live in a place like this?" Trish asked.

"You get used to it. Especially for those who have lived here for centuries."

"I don't think I'd ever get used to this..." Trish said.

"Anyway, the Council is up these stairs."

"We're going to have to climb them? Why didn't you just warp us up there?"

"It's against the rules."

"Well, can we use magic to float up there?"

Heidi shook her head. "There are only 50 steps here. Quit being so lazy."

"'Only 50...'?" Trish twitched. "What, do you climb, like, 500 stairs every day?"

"Trish, please," Parvati scolded, before turning to Heidi. "Lead the way, Heidi."

Heidi nodded, before she turned to their left and began to walk up those many stairs. Parvati and Trish followed after her, and climbed the stairs as well. All the while, Trish could not keep her eyes from the sky; the way it wavered and shifted from pink to yellow to lime to azure and then to pink again. Such a strange sky; see it made her realized how much she took the blue sky back in the Human World for granted.

Soon, the three reached the top, and Parvati and Trish saw that the building that they had seen before from the base of the stairs was rather larger than they thought. In addition, from here, they could see that this area had several more building off to the side, and that it was quite busy with activity.

Heidi started to walk towards the large building, where the Council was supposedly headed. Once again, Parvati and Trish followed her through the crowds of the other witches, some of whom stared at the two of them and others who even waved at Heidi, who waved back at each one.

"Heidi has friends?" Trish whispered to Parvati.

Parvati chuckled, though she was careful so that Heidi did not hear her. "Oh, hush..."

Soon enough, they had reached the main building; an imposing, old-fashioned structure that was most likely far older than it looked. Heidi stopped at the entrance, and turned back towards them.

"This is it..." she said. "Are you two ready?"

Parvati nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Trish said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Okay, then." Heidi walked towards the closed door, and grabbed onto its handle. "Go on in."

She pulled the door open, and held it so that Parvati and Trish could walk inside. They did so, and Heidi followed in after them. They found themselves in a long corridor, with doors lining the walls on both sides. At the far end of the hall was a pair of wooden doors.

"More walking?" Trish sighed.

"Yes," Heidi responded. "The Council is in the room just up ahead. They're expecting us, so we'd best not keep them waiting."

The three then made one final trek, this time down the long hallway to those two doors at the end. Upon reaching them, sparkling white dust began to gather in front of the door and take the form of a humanoid figure. Once the mass finished collecting, Parvati and Trish saw that it resembled a robed man with his hood covering most of his grey face.

The figure spoke, "Parvati Singh and Trish Hubbard?"

"Yes," Heidi answered. "They are ready to meet with the Council."

"...Enter."

With no assistance at all, the doors behind him opened on their own as the robed man disappeared into the same sparkling dust that formed him and then flew away as if they were blown by some kind of wind.

Heidi entered into the room first. Parvati and Trish looked at each other briefly, before they too walked into the room. Upon entering, the doors behind them closed on their own, and then standing in front of each door was one of those strange grey-skinned men; as if they were guarding them.

Parvati and Trish looked ahead, , beyond Heidi, and saw five elderly-looking women sitting at a long wooden desk at the far end of the room. They each wore robes, each of differing colors; starting from the left: burgundy, orange, teal, turquoise, and dark grey.

There was no doubt. These were the Head Witches; the governing rulers of the Aurora Realm, and of the Witches in general.

"Welcome back, Ms. Light," said the second from the right, the one in the turquoise robe. "And right on time as always. Are these two your assignment?"

Heidi nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. I have brought Parvati Singh and Trish Hubbard. They are ready for their query."

"Is that so?" said the one donning the orange robe.

Heidi looked back at the two, and nudged her head towards the panel.

"Y-yes," Parvati answered.

"Uh-huh," Trish replied as well.

"Very well," said the teal-robed Witch. "Then let us begin."